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As part of our new initiative on TPF you can come and take part in a series of new in-depth articles and discussions every month. Featured this month are the methods that one of our top avian photographers, Kristofer Rowe uses to get his stunning photos (as also featured on Tamron USA website as well!). So drop in and take part, I know that Kristofer will be happy to answer your questions and hear what you do out in the field with your camera!

Hey everyone. I would really like to invest in a pelican case but can't afford them at this time. I would like a hard case but it doesn't have to be water proof. Does anyone know an inexpensive alternative to pelican?? Something from a smaller company or a direct competitor??

From my research, Pelicans that I was interested in where actually cheaper than the soft cases of similar shape from Lowepro. You can also use the typical luggage with divider inserts or everything packed in their individual pouches and cases. I also the following at the containerstore a while back but I don't recall if the dimensions would work for you:

Calumet do their own make, you pay for quality and Pelican is quality, what do you think all the camera crews use when they go shooting in the Amazon, in the end it depends how much you care for your gear

Those commercial-grade plastic cases Usayit is suggesting, from The Container Store, look pretty darned good for the price!

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I am not sure if I would trust my body and lenses in these, but 3 of my strobes are in a case like this, its not super protective, It should have high density foam to absorb more impact, the clasps will eventually snap off from bending, but for that price I wouldnt mind buying a bunch just to keep my misc. gear in. Too bad I don't have any of those stores near me....they don't ship very many of their products.

Those commercial-grade plastic cases Usayit is suggesting, from The Container Store, look pretty darned good for the price!

Click to expand...

I am not sure if I would trust my body and lenses in these, but 3 of my strobes are in a case like this, its not super protective, It should have high density foam to absorb more impact, the clasps will eventually snap off from bending, but for that price I wouldnt mind buying a bunch just to keep my misc. gear in. Too bad I don't have any of those stores near me....they don't ship very many of their products.

Click to expand...

If i couldnt afford a large pelican for everything then i was just going to keep my gear in my backpack and use one of those cases for flashes and lighting accessories as well.

Calumet do their own make, you pay for quality and Pelican is quality, what do you think all the camera crews use when they go shooting in the Amazon, in the end it depends how much you care for your gear

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I care very much about my equipment. Thats why i desire pelican and not another camera bag. :/

If you guys bought or own a pelican do you prefer the foam over the dividers?

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I used to own a Pelican and I have also owned (and still do) home-rearranged crates for my gear. I liked both the foam and the dividers for different things. The problem with this thread is that you don't say, unless I've missed it, what exactly you want to do. Foam is great (best?) for specific gear while dividers can be adapted for various gear so that both are useful. In different ways.

I got my one and only Pelican case when I got my first 3 strobes. Cut out the foam to fit and they were safe as could be. In the long (longer) run though it was just one more case and it was a pain in the neck. I ended up buying used/wheeled musicians/sound crates that I customized for my photo gear. The rack system used in those made it so easy to make my own drawers to fit in there for MY gear that it was the ultimate pleasure fitting my gear in there.

Now, I did say used. New, those things are way not cheap. However, there are musicians giving up their dream career all the time and they can be picked up used (barely) often enough for fairly cheap (kinda like a yard sale price) if you live near a big enough city.

Those cases come in different sizes and I had a few of them I could pile on top of each other and strap together depending on the job I was going to.

Just something to think about.

BTW, the more precise your question, the better the answers you will get.

If you guys bought or own a pelican do you prefer the foam over the dividers?

Click to expand...

I used to own a Pelican and I have also owned (and still do) home-rearranged crates for my gear. I liked both the foam and the dividers for different things. The problem with this thread is that you don't say, unless I've missed it, what exactly you want to do. Foam is great (best?) for specific gear while dividers can be adapted for various gear so that both are useful. In different ways.

I got my one and only Pelican case when I got my first 3 strobes. Cut out the foam to fit and they were safe as could be. In the long (longer) run though it was just one more case and it was a pain in the neck. I ended up buying used/wheeled musicians/sound crates that I customized for my photo gear. The rack system used in those made it so easy to make my own drawers to fit in there for MY gear that it was the ultimate pleasure fitting my gear in there.

Now, I did say used. New, those things are way not cheap. However, there are musicians giving up their dream career all the time and they can be picked up used (barely) often enough for fairly cheap (kinda like a yard sale price) if you live near a big enough city.

Those cases come in different sizes and I had a few of them I could pile on top of each other and strap together depending on the job I was going to.

Just something to think about.

BTW, the more precise your question, the better the answers you will get.

Click to expand...

I like a broad spectrum of thoughts and answers so i ask open and broad questions. When i desire a direct answer i ask a direct question... thank you for your insight. Ill possibly construct a diagram of what i desire or what i have been thinking about later. Im prepping for a gig tonight and dont have time to do so at the moment.